CIHI sees first decline in Canada’s FP numbers in decades

The number of family physicians in Canada fell last year for the first time since the mid-1990s, amid rapid population growth and increasing demands from an aging population and a rise in chronically ill patients, according to new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).The Globe and Mail unpacked the most recent data and found the decline in numbers was modest—just 28 fewer family doctors in 2023 compared to 2022—it translated to an almost 3% drop in family physicians per capita due to significant population growthThe CIHI report also highlights that family doctors are seeing fewer individual patients compared to a decade ago. This trend is partly attributed to a growing proportion of patients with more complex medical needs, which requires additional time and care.The findings in the new CIHI study help shed light on why millions of Canadians are struggling to find a family doctor. According to Statistics Canada survey data, 17% of Canadian adults—about 5.4 million people—lacked access to a family doctor in 2023. Another major survey, however, suggested the figure could be even higher, with as many as 22% of Canadians—over 6.5 million people—reporting no regular access to primary care.Read: 1 in 7 visits to ER for conditions that could be managed in primary care: CIHI“I think it’s a huge problem,” Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, told the Globe and Mail. “We already have six-and-a-half million Canadians who don’t have access to a family doctor, so any drop in the number of family physicians is a critical problem that needs urgent attention.”CIHI’s latest health workforce data reveals a significant slowdown in the growth of family physician numbers. The average three-year growth rate declined from 2.7% between 2015 and 2017 to just 1% between 2021 and 2023. However, focusing on the most recent three years masks a key detail: a drop in the actual number of family doctors. In 2022, Canada had 48,292 family physicians, but by 2023, that number had decreased to 48,264—28 fewer than the previous year.The number of family doctors per capita also declined, falling to 12 per 10,000 people in 2023, compared to 12.4 in 2022. Despite this drop, the 2023 per capita figure remains higher than it was a decade ago, when there were 11.5 family doctors per 10,000 people.In 2022/23, family physicians in Canada saw an average of 1,430 unique patients, a decline from 1,746 in 2013-14, though many of those patients were likely seen multiple times.Dr. Tara Kiran, a family physician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto, emphasized that declining access to primary care has serious implications for both patients and the broader health system.“When people don’t have reliable integrated primary care, they are sicker, and the evidence would suggest that it even affects how long they live,” she told the newspaper.

CIHI sees first decline in Canada’s FP numbers in decades

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